Noa Essengue played his first NBA Summer League game in nearly a year last Friday. The numbers were solid — 10 points, 5 rebounds, 4 blocks against the Memphis Grizzlies in a one-point loss. But anyone expecting the Bulls’ 2025 first-round pick to immediately look like a finished product needs to pump the brakes. Hard.
K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Sports Network, speaking on 104.3 The Score, made it clear that Essengue’s return is going to take time. A lot of it.
“He has an awareness of how to play,” Johnson said. “He gets deflections, he’s got length, defensively, I thought he was in the right place a lot. But it’s going to be a process for him.”
Who Is Noa Essengue Again?
The Bulls grabbed the 19-year-old French forward with the 12th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Before that, he bounced between pro clubs in France and Germany from 2021 to 2024. He also suited up for the French under-18 team at the 2024 FIBA U18 EuroBasket tournament. So the kid has reps against grown men. That helps.
His rookie season was basically a ghost story. Essengue played just two games for Chicago before a shoulder injury ended his year. He did appear in four G League games for the Windy City Bulls, where he averaged 23 points and 8.5 rebounds across 30.8 total minutes. Small sample size, sure, but the scoring pop was real.
He also turned heads during the 2025 Summer League. Against the Indiana Pacers, he dropped 21 points on 3-for-3 shooting from deep in a win. Over three Summer League games that year, he averaged 12.7 points and 4.3 boards while shooting 41.9% from the field.
The Tools Are There. The Patience Needs to Match.
At 6-foot-10, Essengue brings a mix of quickness, defensive versatility, and off-ball movement that’s hard to find. Johnson specifically mentioned his length and awareness on defense. The deflections are there. The positioning is mostly right. But raw talent and NBA readiness are two different things, especially for a teenager who barely played his first year.
The Bulls aren’t rushing anything. They don’t have to. Summer League is exactly the right place for Essengue to knock off rust and figure out what works against NBA-level athletes. One game — even a solid one — doesn’t change the big picture.
Johnson’s warning wasn’t meant to be a downer. It was just the truth. Essengue has promise. But promise takes time. And if you’re a Bulls fan hoping for an immediate star, you might want to adjust those expectations right now.
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